Oregon family says they were kicked off United flight due to autistic daughter's beha

[Billnew]

Oregon family says they were kicked off United flight due to autistic daughter's behavior | Fox News

"The flight attendant said, 'There's not anything we can get you,' so I said, 'Well, how about we wait for her to have a meltdown, and start crying and she tries to scratch, and then you'll want to help her.'"

The mother told the flight attendant her daughter was a threat to everyone if she didn't get her way. So the mother is to blame for the situation.
If your daughter must have certain things to avoid a violent outburst then plan ahead. It is not up to the airlines to cater to your needs outside of first class.

Don't tell the airline employee someone will get violent if they don't get what they want, and you won't be removed from the plane.

 

[Autumnleaf]

Good. Drama like that is the last thing we need on airplanes.

 

[AirPo]

Oregon family says they were kicked off United flight due to autistic daughter's behavior | Fox News



The mother told the flight attendant her daughter was a threat to everyone if she didn't get her way. So the mother is to blame for the situation.
If your daughter must have certain things to avoid a violent outburst then plan ahead. It is not up to the airlines to cater to your needs outside of first class.

Don't tell the airline employee someone will get violent if they don't get what they want, and you won't be removed from the plane.

Plan ahead? When was the last time you cooked your own hot meal on an airplane?

 

[seashale76]

1) As the rest of us are often told, flying is not a right.
2) If a child has a disability and needs accommodations, then it is a parent's responsibility to inform the airline before hand.
3) Don't threaten people with potential violence if you don't get your way on a flight.
4) If the child needed a hot meal the parent could have acquired a fast food meal at the airport and then asked for it to be heated up.
5) Some people create scenarios in an effort to get a first class upgrade. I've personally witnessed unscrupulous people/entire families doing things and then pretending to be victims on flights in an effort to get moved to first class. It's disgusting.
6) We are only getting one side of the story- and there is ALWAYS more to stories like this.
7) This woman lost me at lawsuit.

 

[grasping the after wind]

Plan ahead? When was the last time you cooked your own hot meal on an airplane?

If you know your daughter will become violent if deprived of a "hot" not lukewarm, not cold meal. Which is what the mother told the flight attendant was the case, either buy a first class ticket or take a train rather than take the risk of flying in a confined heavier than air container under the rules of aviation and the policies( which are clearly stated by the airlines) of the airlines. That is what is called planning. Using the threat of violence on an airplane is most likely immediately seen as the same as terrorism and is probably , by airline policy and possibly by government regulation, cause for removal of the one doing the threatening. It is also probably policy and governmental mandate that the pilot make an emergency landing in such a situation. Had the mother not threatened violence by her daughter, I doubt that the situation would have been the same. I also wonder if the threat was serious or an exaggeration on the mother's part.

 

[bill5]

Oregon family says they were kicked off United flight due to autistic daughter's behavior | Fox News


The mother told the flight attendant her daughter was a threat to everyone if she didn't get her way. So the mother is to blame for the situation.
If your daughter must have certain things to avoid a violent outburst then plan ahead. It is not up to the airlines to cater to your needs outside of first class.

Don't tell the airline employee someone will get violent if they don't get what they want, and you won't be removed from the plane.

[bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse] what dreamland did you come from? Get with the times. Bad behavior by a child is never the parents' fault and everyone should follow the parent's
lead and give the little bra....um angel...whatever they want, immediately.

What you think their child is their responsibility or something? So I'm all like get real!

 

[Glass*Soul]

[bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse] what dreamland did you come from? Get with the times. Bad behavior by a child is never the parents' fault and everyone should follow the parent's
lead and give the little bra....um angel...whatever they want, immediately.

What you think their child is their responsibility or something? So I'm all like get real!

It might be helpful here to know the differences between a temper tantrum and an autistic meltdown.

Here's a link to an interesting article: Autistic Meltdown or Temper Tantrum? by Judy Endow,MSW

Let me quote part of it:

Meltdown behavior is not impacted by reward systems or by shaping efforts because it is not willful, goal driven behavior. However, meltdown behavior, because it is escalating behavior with beginning, middle and end stages, can be mapped out. This is important because different supports are effective at the different stages of escalation to enable individuals to manage their overwhelmed experiences while in the initial stages.

Now, where I see a problem here, if we're getting accurate quotes in the news article, is that the mom phrased her concerns about the possibility of a meltdown as if it were a threat. That may have been complete exasperation on her part, but it was a bad approach. However, a little understanding of autism on the parts of the personnel would have put the mom's unfortunate wording into context and perhaps have prevented their overreaction.

I think it's sad that so much of the "autism awareness" the public is subjected to is scare-mongering designed to elicit donations rather than good, solid education about autism. More and more, autistic people are realizing they have to be their own advocates and using whatever communication avenues they have to get their messages out.

This message brought to you by an autistic adult who, at the age of 59, still has rare meltdowns but mostly manages to have them alone at home and though she may harm herself never harms others no matter where she is.



http://ollibean.com/2015/01/13/autistic-meltdown-or-temper-tantrum/#sthash.vghA67jy.dpuf

 

[abysmul]

Good work on getting the disruptive passengers off the flight. It SHOULD be a free country, in which if you do not like the service from the airline then you are free to go to another one. Lawsuit? That's really what it boils down to right? They have to have their way and the world must cater to them. God bless them and their special needs child, but to demand that the airline and the rest of the passengers must put up with and alter what they do because of their needs... that's too much to ask. They can purchase first class tickets next time.

 

[Billnew]

Plan ahead? When was the last time you cooked your own hot meal on an airplane?

Thats not planning ahead. That is expecting special treatment. Planning ahead is feeding your special needs child before it becomes a threat to the passingers on a plane.
Planning ahead is looking at your flight time, plan the meal by the flight time so she is content for the flight. (It did not specify that there was a significant delay)

If you know your daughter will become violent if deprived of a "hot" not lukewarm, not cold meal. Which is what the mother told the flight attendant was the case, either buy a first class ticket or take a train rather than take the risk of flying in a confined heavier than air container under the rules of aviation and the policies( which are clearly stated by the airlines) of the airlines. That is what is called planning. Using the threat of violence on an airplane is most likely immediately seen as the same as terrorism and is probably , by airline policy and possibly by government regulation, cause for removal of the one doing the threatening. It is also probably policy and governmental mandate that the pilot make an emergency landing in such a situation. Had the mother not threatened violence by her daughter, I doubt that the situation would have been the same. I also wonder if the threat was serious or an exaggeration on the mother's part.

Exactly. The mother said there would be a meltdown and possibly injuries, if the child didn't get special treatment. The staff took that as a threat to the passingers around the child and staff. So the threat was removed.

[bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse] what dreamland did you come from? Get with the times. Bad behavior by a child is never the parents' fault and everyone should follow the parent's
lead and give the little bra....um angel...whatever they want, immediately.

What you think their child is their responsibility or something? So I'm all like get real!

oh, yea. What was I thinking.
I bet with behaivor modification the "meltdown" could be minimized over time. But then again I am of the belief that the majority of people can learn and be taught to improve.

It might be helpful here to know the differences between a temper tantrum and an autistic meltdown.

Here's a link to an interesting article: Autistic Meltdown or Temper Tantrum? by Judy Endow,MSW

Let me quote part of it:

Now, where I see a problem here, if we're getting accurate quotes in the news article, is that the mom phrased her concerns about the possibility of a meltdown as if it were a threat. That may have been complete exasperation on her part, but it was a bad approach. However, a little understanding of autism on the parts of the personnel would have put the mom's unfortunate wording into context and perhaps have prevented their overreaction.

I think it's sad that so much of the "autism awareness" the public is subjected to is scare-mongering designed to elicit donations rather than good, solid education about autism. More and more, autistic people are realizing they have to be their own advocates and using whatever communication avenues they have to get their messages out.

This message brought to you by an autistic adult who, at the age of 59, still has rare meltdowns but mostly manages to have them alone at home and though she may harm herself never harms others no matter where she is.

I do believe the mothers words were taken as a danger to others, probably not knowing the difference between a tantrum and a meltdown.
But still a possible threat to herself or others if she didn't get special treatment.

As with any special needs person, you need to plan ahead. Notify the airline so they can have something if needed. Not just expecting the staff to give you first class service at coach prices.
Also, I don't think I ever got steaming food on an airplane, but then again, I never flew first class.

I would also hope the mother:
1. does a better job explaining the problem, so they don't assume it is a threat.
2. plans ahead to prevent the chance of a meltdown.
3. Figures out how to prevent a meltdown for hot food or other minor incoviences of life.

Thank you for sharing link.

 

[grasping the after wind]

It might be helpful here to know the differences between a temper tantrum and an autistic meltdown.

Here's a link to an interesting article: Autistic Meltdown or Temper Tantrum? by Judy Endow,MSW

Let me quote part of it:

Now, where I see a problem here, if we're getting accurate quotes in the news article, is that the mom phrased her concerns about the possibility of a meltdown as if it were a threat. That may have been complete exasperation on her part, but it was a bad approach. However, a little understanding of autism on the parts of the personnel would have put the mom's unfortunate wording into context and perhaps have prevented their overreaction.

I think it's sad that so much of the "autism awareness" the public is subjected to is scare-mongering designed to elicit donations rather than good, solid education about autism. More and more, autistic people are realizing they have to be their own advocates and using whatever communication avenues they have to get their messages out.

This message brought to you by an autistic adult who, at the age of 59, still has rare meltdowns but mostly manages to have them alone at home and though she may harm herself never harms others no matter where she is.

The problem is that the mom that ought to be quite aware not only of her daughter's needs, but of the ignorance of the general public about autism did not act in accordance with that knowledge but acted in such a way as to cause concern by the pilot. Autistic meltdowns are not unknown in public situations and might well be simply ignored( though most bystanders appear to be annoyed most people do not go ballistic when they happen they simply pretend they do not notice it) by everyone but the mother that must deal with it, but threats of violence are taken very seriously by both airline personnel and the government authorities in charge of regulating the airlines.

 

[Glass*Soul]

Good work on getting the disruptive passengers off the flight. It SHOULD be a free country, in which if you do not like the service from the airline then you are free to go to another one. Lawsuit? That's really what it boils down to right? They have to have their way and the world must cater to them. God bless them and their special needs child, but to demand that the airline and the rest of the passengers must put up with and alter what they do because of their needs... that's too much to ask. They can purchase first class tickets next time.

Calling a person's needs *special* and suggesting that God should bless them while asserting that no one involved has any responsibility to adjust to those needs is pretty disingenuous.

What this young girl needed was well within the ability of the airline to provide with virtually no fuss and certainly no inconvenience to the other passengers. Her need was special. It was not onerous. Rather than meet her special need they were willing to inconvenience all of the other passengers and incur a goodly cost to the airline. How foolish.

Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? James 2:16

 

[Maren]

Calling a person's needs *special* and suggesting that God should bless them while asserting that no one involved has any responsibility to adjust to those needs is pretty disingenuous.

What this young girl needed was well within the ability of the airline to provide with virtually no fuss and certainly no inconvenience to the other passengers. Her need was special. It was not onerous. Rather than meet her special need they were willing to inconvenience all of the other passengers and incur a goodly cost to the airline. How foolish.

My issue with this is, if you have "special needs" with food, you let the airline know ahead of time. Should a Jewish person be able to sue because he wasn't able to get a Kosher meal without informing them beforehand?

The parents should have planned the flights to ensure this wouldn't come up -- even though that might mean taking a longer layover so they could eat. Additionally, I'm guessing there would have been no issue if they merely informed the airline, before flying, that they may need a hot meal for their child during one of the flights because of her Autism.

 

[He is Risen 72]

Just another attempt for people to try and get rich. Demanding first class service when you fly coach, threatening violence, and then lawsuits? They are lucky they were not thrown in jail.

 

[abysmul]

Calling a person's needs *special* and suggesting that God should bless them while asserting that no one involved has any responsibility to adjust to those needs is pretty disingenuous.

No, no it's not.
As others have pointed out, when you ASK that a business adjust or cater to your special needs, it is customary and reasonable to do so in advance. The business can then prepare (if they choose to, and are able to) and also explain what steps the customer needs to take (planning, and even paying for special services) to accommodate their needs.

Making no plans in advance, making threats of possible harm, and threats of lawsuits, are all poor behaviors that sit squarely on the shoulders of the customer in this situation.

For anyone to expect to toss their own personal responsibility out the window and demand others deal with their special issues is quite frankly ridiculous.

 

[Glass*Soul]

My issue with this is, if you have "special needs" with food, you let the airline know ahead of time. Should a Jewish person be able to sue because he wasn't able to get a Kosher meal without informing them beforehand?

The parents should have planned the flights to ensure this wouldn't come up -- even though that might mean taking a longer layover so they could eat. Additionally, I'm guessing there would have been no issue if they merely informed the airline, before flying, that they may need a hot meal for their child during one of the flights because of her Autism.

While the airline staff would be unable to pull an unplanned Kosher meal out of a hat, they would have been able to provide the hot meal the autistic girl needed with only the smallest of effort.

I agree that the parents should have made arrangements in advance and that the mother worded her concerns about her daughter having a meltdown poorly. However a lapse on the parents' part, which everyone caring for someone with special needs is going to occasionally have as no one is a perfect care-giver all of the time, did not necessitate a big emergency reaction on the part of the airline staff. It is ridiculous that they escalated a situation like this over a meltdown that the girl might have had if she were not properly fed, a thing they easily could have done and prevented any problem. Instead they pulled out all the stops as if this girl were a risk on the order of a terrorist with a knife, and inconvenienced everyone and cost themselves money. They turned a small, solvable problem due to poor planning on the parents' part into a massive lose-lose situation. How foolish.

Woe to those of us who have disabilities that may make us unpredictably vulnerable in a world of rigid, merciless absolutes.

 

[abysmul]

They took a threat of physical harm seriously, as we expect an airline to do in this day and age.

 

[NightHawkeye]

They took a threat of physical harm seriously, as we expect an airline to do in this day and age.

I'm not seeing any threat of physical harm, just a statement that the stewardess will feel different about helping the girl when the girl has her tantrum.

 

[Glass*Soul]

I'm not seeing any threat of physical harm, just a statement that the stewardess will feel different about helping the girl when the girl has her tantrum.

Tantrums and meltdowns differ.

That said, I think your take on the mother's intent is valid.

 

[Glass*Soul]

They took a threat of physical harm seriously, as we expect an airline to do in this day and age.

Give me a break.

 

[Ada Lovelace]

I think it was overreactive to have an emergency landing of the plane when the problem had already been ameliorated at that point and there wasn't a clear and present threat to anyone, but the mother set the melodrama in motion through her own actions. She is intimately aware of her daughter's needs and should have planned accordingly. They should have booked flights with a long enough layover in Houston so that their daughter could have a hot meal there and not let her hunger reach the point where she's verging on a meltdown. I've been in that airport so many times and there are ample fast food places with steaming hot meals as well as sit-down restaurants. A plane isn't like a restaurant with a full kitchen of food they can just whip up to accommodate passengers. They generally stock the meals based on the passenger list, so they wouldn't have that many extras beyond what was brought for those in first class. Providing a hot meal for one passenger with special needs then opens up the possibility of other passenger in economy requesting meals for health reasons. Plus, most planes don't have microwaves and instead use a special convection oven to heat up the meals, so it's not as simple as just grabbing a frozen meal and nuking it for a few minutes.


ETA - This gives more clarity - http://www.nydailynews.com/news/nat...ughter-autism-booted-flight-article-1.2218001

The family travels relatively frequently since they state that Juliette has been to 22 states and Europe, so they should have experience in flying and be able to anticipate her needs and make their plans accordingly. The family did have dinner in Houston, but their daughter refused to eat her meal. They therefore should have anticipated that she would become hungry and thirsty on the second flight and have brought an actual meal for her to eat later on. They also should have spoken with the airline prior to boarding and explained the situation. Again, heating up food on a plane isn't as simple as heating it at home, but the attendants probably would have made the effort for her if they were aware of her needs in advance.